Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy voices his displeasure on a unnecessary roughness penalty with line judge Tom Symonette during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, October 28, 2012. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

GREEN BAY, Wis. — This can all be traced back to a video of Will Ferrell. Wait, check that, Jackie Moon.

After the season-opening loss to San Francisco, Green Bay players watched a scene from “Semi-Pro.” A bear escapes its cage at a Flint Tropics game and Ferrell freaks out, screaming “Everybody panic!” The message? Ignore the noise. Don’t panic.

So there was Charles Woodson in front of the team after the replacement ref fiasco in Seattle, telling everyone to move on. There was Aaron Rodgers and the offense stringing together five straight wins after the collapse in Indianapolis. And one week after a three-hour public embarrassment in East Rutherford, N.J., the Packers gritted out a 23-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Dec. 2, at Lambeau Field.

This team refuses to slam the panic button in a panic-button era.

Coach Mike McCarthy refuses to shoot from the hip.

Where others see a need for change — Cut Crosby! Fire Campen! Trade Finley! — the Packers see a need to trudge along, stay the course. That is the mind-set the Packers are taking into December and January. For better or worse, this is a team that refuses to make rash decisions. Four games remaining, the Packers are about to see how far it takes them.

At his locker Sunday, kicker Mason Crosby fielded 15 to 20 minutes worth of repeat questions on his miss, his big make and his brain. The answers were no surprise. This is how the team thinks.

“I’ve felt ‘back’ for the last few weeks,” Crosby said. “I feel good with my process. I feel good with how I’m approaching the game.”

The Packers don’t swim through waivers for answers. And they don’t flinch philosophically. Crosby is the still the team’s kicker. Offensive line depth — paper-thin since August — has remained unchanged. And at quarterback, Rodgers won’t be throwing off his back foot into double coverage quite yet.

No, the football played Sunday will not drive Green Bay deep into the playoffs. With half-competent quarterback play on this day — Gus Frerotte or Brooks Bollinger would have sufficed — the Vikings beat the Packers. Period. Instead, Adrian Peterson’s 210-yard masterpiece of a game was wasted.

Still, Sunday was a microcosm of Green Bay’s season.

Start with Crosby. When Crosby missed a 53-yard kick, Ryan Longwell instantly became every fan’s favorite ex-Packer. Again. Crosby is 15 of 24 on the season. Yet after the Vikings called a timeout on the Packers’ attempt to go for it on fourth and 7 in the third quarter, McCarthy regrouped and sent Crosby onto the field. And he drilled the most important 47-yard kick he’s ever had in his life. Maybe, finally, he’s back.

“We need Mason Crosby,” McCarthy said. “Mason Crosby’s going to kick game-winning field goals for us. I’m not going to wait until the fourth quarter with 3 seconds left in a huge game to start kicking field goals because maybe he’s missed some along the way.”

Same mantra on the line. Ted Thompson practically mocked all doubters last weekend when he elevated a seventh — seventh?! — wide receiver to the 53-man roster. He’s been fine with two undrafted rookies as his only backups. Against Minnesota, right tackle T.J. Lang exited with an ankle injury, in came Don Barclay and the rookie provided a promising bare-knuckle debut.

Then there’s Rodgers. Tape from his 2011 MVP season has clearly made the rounds. Rather than force wholesale changes or sling the occasional gun, Rodgers made minor tweaks. The three-step drop, for one, made a comeback. He looked for receivers in rhythm. Using a quick, decisive passing game, Rodgers went 27 of 35.

“It was in the game plan,” tight end Jermichael Finley said. “We needed that. We got the ball out of our hands quicker and kept them on their toes. It was a great day.”

Patience without panic consumes Rodgers and the Packers. There’s never any kicking or screaming.

“I thought it was a no-panic locker room,” Rodgers said. “We have been typically in the last couple years, not a big rah-rah team. We don’t need a lot of rah-rah speeches. Every team is different.”

Maybe this mentality backfires. McCarthy interpreted the locker room scene as “flat,” saying “it was not the best halftime.” Staying calm, cool and quiet in the crux of trouble — several Packer offensive linemen refused to speak to the media last week — could be a recipe for disaster.

An absence of energy, adrenaline has weighed Green Bay down at times this season. Maybe some profanity-laced panic is the right medicine. The Packers can’t afford a sleepy start in the postseason.

But for now, it’s working. To Green Bay, the bear hasn’t escaped the cage quite yet. Not in Seattle, Indianapolis or New York.

And now, the Packers are tied for first in the NFC North.

“It was important,” Rodgers said. “Everything is right in front of us.”

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